Chapter Text
February 2014 - Sochi Olympics
“Team USA has just won the gold medal at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. The USA hockey team is led by number 21, Scott Hunter, also captain of the New York Admirals. Hunter was on fire tonight scoring two goals and assisting Carter Vaughn with the other goal.” The announcer says after the buzzer goes off.
Scott, Carter, and the rest of Team USA receive their gold metals and line up to take a picture. Scott wants to go back to his room at the Olympic village and hide away. He wishes he wasn’t feeling like this. This is a huge accomplishment, a dream come true, but all he can think about is that when he returns home he will be alone.
Scott and Kip broke up and Scott was all alone again. He is enraged. He has so much anger built up inside him, not at Kip. He could never be angry at Kip, he loves him so much. He is angry at the world, at hockey. Hockey is the reason they broke up and can’t be together.
“Dude you're coming with us right?” Carter interrupted Scott's thoughts.
“What?” Scott asked.
“Are you going out with us?”
“No, thanks, but I’m gonna go back to the room. I’m tired.”
“No fucking way man, we just won the fucking gold metal at the Oympics. We are celebrating and you are coming with us.”
“Vaughny, really, I’m tired, I’ll just--”
“No, you are going.”
Scott looked at him, he could see his friend wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Plus he wouldn’t mind getting drunk and forgetting how miserable he is for a few hours. “Fine.”
***
Scott and Carter return to the Olympic village late and drunk. They both pass out the second their heads hit their pillows. Scott woke up with a pounding headache. He rolls onto his back and stares up at the ceiling. All he can think about is Kip. How beautiful his smile is, his soothing voice, his kind heart. Scott wants to cry, but he can’t, his best friend is sleeping in the bed next to him, he can’t risk waking him up. So instead he continues to stare at the ceiling remembering all that he lost.
A few minutes later Scott checks his phone. The first thing he notices is a text from Kip.
Kip
Hey congratulations on winning gold. I am so proud of you. You deserve it.
He stares at the messages. He doesn’t know if this is real or if his eyes are playing tricks on him. He can’t hold back the tears anymore, so he goes to the bathroom and sits on the floor and allows the tears to flow.
He can’t believe Kip actually texted him. All he can think about is how he is the one that fucked everything up, he choose hockey over Kip, but Kip still texted him. He still congratulated him. Kip is the most amazing person in the world and he broke his heart.
Scott realized he still needs to respond to the text, he types out Thanks, I’m so sorry for everything. You are so amazing and I fucked everything up and I am so sorry. He decided that was too much and deleted the text. He then typed out I still love you. I always will. He deleted that too. He finally sent a message
Scott
Thank you. I really appreciate it. It means a lot.
Kip replied almost instantly.
Kip
No problem.
Scott didn’t want the conversation to end. He knows he can’t be with Kip, but maybe they can be friends. Maybe they can text sometimes and still keep in touch.
Scott
How have you been?
Kip
I have been good. I got a full ride to grad school and I started that in January.
Scott
Kip, that is amazing!! I am so happy for you.
Kip
Thanks.
Scott
If you are okay with it, I was wondering if we could still be friends? I know that we can’t be together and if the answer is no I fully understand. I just would really like to have you in my life, if that is okay with you.
Kip
I would really like to keep you in my life too, so yeah we can be friends.
Scott
So, where are you going to grad school?
Kip
You aren’t going to like the answer.
Scott
As long as the answer is not Boston, I don’t think I will mind.
Kip
Well…
Scott
SEROUSLY????
Kip
No, I’m just kidding. I did get a full ride to Boston, but I also got one to NYU and I wanted to stay home so I chose NYU.
Scott
Okay, good, because I almost had to take back being friends.
Kip
No way, we are friends for life now. You can’t take it back.
When do you come back to New York?
Scott
A few days
Kip
That’s nice.
I have to go because I am meeting some friends for drinks in a bit, but have fun for the rest of the time you are in Russia.
Scott
Thanks. Have fun with your friends.
Scott shut off his phone and let out a breath. Kip doesn’t hate him and that’s all he cares about. And they are going to be friends. This is more than Scott had ever thought would happen.
***
The flight home sucked. It was 15 hours of boredom and turbulence. Scott tried to read, but kept losing focus. Carter kept talking to him about his new movie star girlfriend, Gloria. Scott is happy for Carter, he really is, but he is also bitter. He wants to be able to talk about the man he loves with his best friend but he can’t, so he just continues to listen and nod along with what Carter is saying.
When Scott gets back to his penthouse he is reminded yet again that he is alone. He opens the door and walks in. Everything reminds him of Kip, the kitchen where Kip made them both smoothies the morning after their first night together, the couch where they would spend their days off cuddling and watch tv together, the bedroom where they not only had the best sex Scott has ever had, but also where Scott would wake up, roll over, and just look at how peaceful Kip is when he is sleeping. Scott misses Kip so much, he wants to see him, he wants to kiss him, to hug him so tight and never let go, but he can’t.
Scott
Hey, I just got back home.
Kip
How was the flight?
Scott
Good.
He lied
Kip
When do you go back to playing with the Admirals?
Scott
In 2 days. How have you been?
Kip
I’ve been good. I’ve got a lot of school work, but it’s not too bad. How have you been?
Scott
I’ve been good. I don’t know if you heard but I did just win the gold medal at the Olympics.
Kip
Haha
Seriously though, I know you can be hard on yourself. Are you really doing good?
Scott thought about how to respond. He could lie and say that he really is fine, but Kip would know, he always knows.
Scott
Honestly, since we broke up it’s been kind of hard. I miss you a lot. I know we broke up for the best, it wasn’t fair to you, but we were good together and I miss that.
Kip
I miss you too. Truthfully I miss us a lot. But we both need to move on right?
Scott
Yeah, you should find someone. Really, I want you to be happy, even if it can't be with me. You should find a nice guy, maybe someone at school or something.
Kip
Yeah, maybe.
You deserve to find someone too. A nice guy that you love and want to be with. You deserve to be happy Scott.
The only person I could be happy with is you. The only person I could ever fall in love with and want to spend the rest of my life with is you. Scott thought.
Scott
Yeah, maybe.